Richard Desmarais

Before starting my career as a commercial photographer,I managed a chain of record stores for a number of years and then I saw the light and started a new career. Thirty years behind the lens as a commercial photographer has exposed me to a larger piece of the world than your average person, but there are still lots of places left on my must-see list.

My day-to-day work has me shooting for clients spanning the entire spectrum of High tech, Lo-tech and no tech. From using a paint stripper to melt cheese or polishing a beer bottle with Turtle Wax, there is no end to the bizarre situations I find myself in. I could be shooting a high-end perfume bottles for one client, F-18 fighter jets for another, and digital telephone switching gear for yet another.

Lately most of my time has been spent photographing food and lifestyle for McCain foods, Moosehead beer, the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission or traveling our country for DND and NAV Canada. From one day to the next it’s hard to say what I’ll be shooting. My jobs are not always just traditional commercial work. One connection he made sent me on assignment to Kurgyzstan in northeastern central Asia. For this project, I was sent by an international aid organization to photograph the distribution of medical supplies in remote villages. Ask me about the comforts of sleeping in a Russian cargo plane between cargo palettes and the uninsulated fuselage!

Being a self-taught photographer and computer geek as been quite a challenge. I’ve made, I think, every possible photo mistake one can make. However, like a lot of my colleagues, I’ve been a survivor and I’ve produced a few good images that hopefully will last. I enjoy being in the “back rooms” of the world.

My clients include: Astra Zenica, Americares, Alpine & Moosehead Breweries, Belair Networks, Canadian Broadcast Corporation , Canada Post Corporation, Canadian Bank Note Company, Cognos, McCain Foods, Fusion Beauty, KFC, National Defence Canada, NAV Canada, People Magazine, VISA Canada.